


Waltzing Matilda

by ASpotofBother



Category: Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines (Video Game)
Genre: Developing Friendships, Gen, This is what happens when I try to write fluff, genfic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-06
Updated: 2020-05-06
Packaged: 2021-03-02 18:08:44
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,077
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24031072
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ASpotofBother/pseuds/ASpotofBother
Summary: "With that jolly jumbuck you've got in your tucker bag, you'll come a-Waltzing Matilda with me."Mercurio and the fledgling take a moment out of their chaotic nights to dance and share their experiences with the unofficial anthem of Australia.Set in the same universe as Power and Control, but contains no spoilers and can be read as a stand-alone.
Relationships: Mercurio (Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines) & Fledgling (Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines)
Comments: 4
Kudos: 13





	Waltzing Matilda

**Author's Note:**

> Inspired by, of all things, replaying the RE2 remake and immediately bursting into song on seeing Leon's default weapon. There are several versions of "Waltzing Matilda" - the one used in this fic was sung by Slim Dusty if you've never heard it. It's an Australian bush song that narrates the story of a "swagman," or itinerant worker, who drowns himself in a "billabong" (oxbow lake) rather than submit to authority. It's often referred to as Australia's unofficial national anthem.

Madison lay on her back, staring at the ceiling and whispering along with the lyrics emanating from the battered stereo. She still couldn’t believe Trip had actually had a CD with the song on it in his shop. The backpack containing the Astrolite sat on the floor beside her; it was probably past time to get up, get moving – she had places to be, warehouses to blow up – but she only grumbled under her breath when the song ended and waited for it to start again.

She startled when someone knocked at the apartment door, pushing herself up on one elbow and frowning at it. “Hello?”

The someone huffed on the other side of the door. “There some reason you’re not answering the door, doll?”

“Mercurio!”

She scrambled to her feet, taking care not to knock the Astrolite. The ghoul’s expression was equal parts exasperation and amusement when she pulled the door open. The grievous injuries he’d sustained the night before were completely healed – if she hadn’t found him bleeding out on his couch, she wouldn’t have believed they’d ever existed. One hand was tucked in his pants pocket, the other grasped the handle of a small cooler. “See if I surprise you with dinner again,” he complained good-naturedly as he extended it out to her.

“Dinner?” She took the cooler and opened it far enough to reveal the two blood packs resting inside. She glanced back at him with a smile. “You shouldn’t have.”

He shrugged. “Yeah, well. I was in the neighborhood.”

“Do you have time to come in?” she asked, holding the door open a little wider.

He scratched at the corner of his jaw. “Do _you_ have time?”

She pulled a face at him. “The warehouse isn’t going anywhere – at least keep me company while I eat.”

He chuckled. “Never could refuse a request from a lady,” he said, stepping into the apartment.

Madison grinned and closed the door behind him, setting the cooler atop the kitchenette’s grimy counter. “I, um, don’t have anything you could eat,” she said, eyebrows drawing together at the realization.

“Don’t worry about me, kiddo – I’ll live.”

She blew out a laugh, transferring one of the blood packs into the fridge. “I’ll say – are all ghouls so resilient? I can’t believe you’re – ” She broke off when she turned to find him staring at the stereo with a strange expression on his face. “Mercurio? You okay?”

He shook himself, glancing at her with a disbelieving grin. “I haven’t heard this in…” He trailed off, gaze traveling back to the stereo.

“You know ‘Waltzing Matilda?’” she said, face creasing in a wide smile.

He laughed. “Sweetheart, this song’s older than you and me both.” He looked back over at her. “How d’you know it?”

“My dad used to sing it to us,” she said, smile dimming. “When we were little. He’d let us stand on his feet and dance with him while he sang.”

Mercurio’s expression gentled. “Yeah?” He stepped forward, holding out a hand. Madison managed a watery laugh as she took it, letting him pull her into a shuffling dance. She settled her other hand on his shoulder, and he smiled and hummed along with the music as they turned slow circles in the kitchenette.

“I always used to wonder why everyone was okay with the swagman waiting for a boy named Billy to boil,” she admitted ruefully. Mercurio chuckled, his jaw brushing her temple. “How do you know the song?”

She glanced up when he didn’t answer right away to find his gaze fixed on some indefinable point behind her. “My pop served in the War from ‘41 to ‘44. Came home missing a leg. Never talked about it, but whenever he got drunk he’d sing this song.” He was silent for a long moment. “I heard they sang it at his wake.”

Madison swallowed against the sudden pressure in her throat, pressing her forehead into his shoulder. He gave her a squeeze, sliding his hand from her waist to her back and rubbing gentle circles into her muscles. Their feet slowed, then stopped, until they were simply standing and holding one another, Mercurio still humming faintly along with the music.

__

> _His ghost may be heard as you pass by that billabong  
>  You’ll come a-Waltzing Matilda with me_

Madison took a deep breath, giving the ghoul a quick hug before she stepped back. “I should go,” she said almost shyly. “That warehouse isn’t gonna blow itself up.”

He fixed her with a crooked grin. “You got it, sweetheart. Show those Sabbat assholes what’s what. I’ll see you when you get back, yeah?”

She nodded, throwing her arms around him in another impulsive hug; he chuckled and pressed his cheek to the crown of her head. She squeezed her eyes shut before she made herself step away. “I’ll have proper food the next time you stop by,” she promised.

His grin softened into a smile. “I’ll look forward to it.”

There was nothing else to say. She smiled back at him, and they both ignored how it wavered at the edges before she bent and carefully settled the Astrolite against her back. Mercurio waited as she gulped down the blood he’d brought, then walked her out into the balmy L.A. night.

“You sure you don’t want a gun?” he asked as they reached the sidewalk.

Madison released a laugh that was mostly nerves. “Mercurio, I’ve never shot a gun in my life. I’d hit myself, or the Astrolite, before I hit my target.”

He didn’t look happy, but he didn’t press her. “All right. But if those fuckers come at you, you put ‘em down so they stay down, got it?”

“With any luck, they won’t even know I’m there.”

“All right,” he said again, sighing. “Go hit ‘em with an earth-shattering kaboom.”

She nodded, grabbing his hand to give his fingers a final squeeze before she turned in the direction of the rendezvous point Bertram had given her. She glanced back when she reached the end of the block. Mercurio still stood where she’d left him in front of the pawn shop; he lifted one hand in a wave that she returned until she rounded the corner and he was gone. Turning her face forward again, she hummed the familiar tune as she carefully shifted the backpack’s straps on her shoulders and increased the length of her stride.

She had an appointment with an earth-shattering kaboom.

**Author's Note:**

> After the Guadalcanal Campaign, the 1st Marine Division was sent to Australia recuperate. In commemoration, they adopted "Waltzing Matilda" as their battle hymn. I believe they still play it every time they ship out.


End file.
